


(voted most likely to) run away with you

by inlovewithimpossibility



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, But we love him for it, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Oliver Queen is a Dumb Pine Tree, Personal Growth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-18
Updated: 2020-06-18
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:28:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24791596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inlovewithimpossibility/pseuds/inlovewithimpossibility
Summary: Oliver Queen has lived his life in line with what his peers have told him he should do but he's feeling stuck. He never expected his little sister's new baby sitter to be the one that turns everything around for him though.[or yet another olicity high school au bc i'm a sucker for these two as babies]
Relationships: Oliver Queen & Thea Queen, Oliver Queen/Felicity Smoak, Thea Queen & Felicity Smoak
Comments: 82
Kudos: 338





	(voted most likely to) run away with you

**Author's Note:**

  * For [preston_logan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/preston_logan/gifts).



> Hi everyone, this fic is dedicated to the lovely Amanda in a (very belated) celebration of her graduation! All of the congratulations and thanks to you, Amanda, for being such a sweet and supportive friend <3 
> 
> A playlist for this fic can be found at https://open.spotify.com/playlist/58qligDL1IJh6pMckcvf5X?si=aP0ZGNT4R3GQm1eHemYbmA if you want to listen along as you read :) 
> 
> Remember to keep supporting Black Lives Matter - info on how can be found here: https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/ - and to keep safe and healthy even as restrictions begin to loosen. I really hope you enjoy this fic and please let me know if you do by leaving a kudos and/or comment - they make my day! 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading!

Oliver Queen has everything he could ever want in life.

That may sound clichéd but it’s true.

He’s seventeen years old, captain of the baseball team, and one of the most popular guys in school. His parents have more money than they know what to do with, he’s really never had to work for anything in his life, and he has a family that loves and supports him through everything he does, right or wrong.

It’s why he feels so guilty to feel like it’s not enough.

He knows how incredibly lucky he is, there’s no denying that, but lately, Oliver has begun to feel like there’s something missing. It’s something he can’t really explain but the vapid life he leads has begun to feel unfulfilling in a way it never did before.

His relationship with Laurel is founded on something entirely superficial. The entire school thought they should be dating because they’re both popular and attractive, so they are. But Oliver is so done with how fake the whole thing is.

Even Tommy is starting to grind on him. His want to turn everything into a joke and a laugh and his view that everything will be alright because they’re privileged and rich suddenly makes Oliver angrier than it ever has.

It’s stressing Oliver out a little because he doesn’t know what’s caused the change and he certainly doesn’t want to lose his friends over it. Who is he without them? He’s nothing special. Just a rich boy who has managed to skate by until this point.

These thoughts have been clouding Oliver’s brain for months when he arrives home one evening in late January. He went to Tommy’s after school, hanging out in his heated pool with Laurel and their other friends. Oliver bailed earlier than everyone else and had been teased relentlessly for doing so, but he honestly couldn’t stand to listen to them all blather on about their monotonous lives anymore.

His stomach rumbles uncomfortably and he frowns, making his way down the hallway towards the kitchen hopefully in search of one of Raisa’s delights.

What he doesn’t expect, is to go barrelling into a blonde girl he doesn’t recognize in his own hallway.

Oliver’s eyes fly wide as he stumbles backward, catching his footing before he goes flying to the floor. The girl is not so lucky, falling down onto the hardwood with a loud smack that has Oliver wincing in sympathy. Turning to help her up, he freezes as he takes her in.

She looks to be around his age, blonde with glasses that cover bright blue eyes and a delicate-looking face. She’s small, standing shorter than most of the girls Oliver knows their age, but he can’t help but notice how her legs still seem to go on for miles. She’s dressed in a simple sweater and skirt, her blonde hair pulled back into a sensible ponytail, but there’s something intriguing in the simplicity of it.

“Oh I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to run into you! I was just heading back down the corridor and I clearly wasn’t looking where I was going and I’m so sorry and…” She starts to babble as she accepts Oliver’s hand and stands, a bright red blush covering her cheeks. Oliver’s brow furrows as a smirk comes across his face. Instead of thinking her awkward, her babbling is entirely endearing, especially as she catches herself and her eyes blow wide.

“It’s okay,” Oliver reassures her with a smile. “Are you okay?”

“Me? Oh yeah, I’m fine. You get used to falling over when you’re as clumsy as I am. Not that I’m so clumsy that I can’t function but you know what I mean. Sometimes I trip over things that just aren’t there and, oh lord, please stop me talking.” She continues to babble, her eyes widening until she’s looking at him with a pleading expression, and Oliver cannot help but chuckle, she’s just so adorable.

“I’m Oliver.” He introduces as a way to cut off her ramble. He expects her to shake his hand, tell him her name, and what she’s doing in his house.

Instead, she looks down at his outstretched hand in confusion, her brow furrowed before she looks up to meet his eye with a quizzical expression. “Oh I know who you are, you’re Oliver Queen. Captain of the baseball team and the most popular guy in school.”

Her words make Oliver freeze. This girl clearly knows who Oliver is and yet, even wracking his brain as much as he can, Oliver can’t say he even recognizes her face.

“You go to Starling Prep?” He questions in surprise and the girl nods with a sheepish smile.

“I do indeed. I’m a junior as well.” She divulges but that only confuses Oliver further. If they’re in the same year, how is it that Oliver can’t recognize her?

“I’m sorry, I don’t know your name.” He comments embarrassedly, reaching up to run his hand through his hair awkwardly when he realizes that he still has it outstretched despite the fact that this girl clearly isn’t going to shake it.

“Oh no, I know you don’t. It’s okay. Felicity Smoak.” She finally introduces herself and Oliver cannot help but smile. It’s a pretty name, for a pretty girl as well. A smile spreads across Felicity’s face as she speaks and it’s just as endearing as her babbling.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Felicity. What are you doing in my house though?” Oliver questions, still entirely baffled as to what circumstances have led to them bumping into each other in the hallway to his kitchen.

“Oh! I needed to pick up a part-time job. I’m at Starling Prep on a scholarship but my mom and I are still struggling, not that you need to know my sob story. Long story short, your parents pay well, I’m good with kids, and I’m your little sister’s new babysitter.”

“Oh!” Oliver frowns, taking a few moments to take in what Felicity’s said. “My parents didn’t tell me Thea needed a babysitter.”

“She’s seven, it’s probably not a good idea to leave her here alone, is it?” Felicity replies with a baffled expression, tilting her head as she looks at him. It makes Oliver flustered in a way that no girl ever has before.

“Well, no but I…” He starts before he trails off, unsure of what he would even say. There’s a moment of awkward silence that passes between the teenagers before Felicity clears her throat, gesturing to get around him with a small awkward smile.

“Anyway, I’ve got to get back to Thea. She’s a bit of a little tyke.” Felicity smiles with a shrug and Oliver chuckles at her assessment, all too aware of the precocious nature of his baby sister.

“Oh, believe me, I know.” He comments with an affectionate smile, stepping to the side to let her past.

“See you around!” Felicity calls as she heads down the corridor and Oliver frowns, trying to shake off the strange feeling the interaction leaves him with.

* * *

He can’t resist asking when he’s sat at the dinner table later with his parents.

Thea already ate, not being able to stay up late enough to eat with their parents when they get home, but Oliver tries to join them to eat as much as he can. He doesn’t get a lot of time with them so he tries to treasure it where he can.

“Why didn’t you tell me Thea needed a babysitter? I could’ve watched her.” He finds himself saying as he’s halfway through his potatoes and watches as his parents share a shocked look, before placing their cutlery down.

“Oh, you met Felicity? Lovely girl, no?” His father smiles, clearly trying to deflect but Oliver merely frowns, shrugging his shoulders.

“Sure, but you could’ve asked me to do it.” He reiterates, looking between his parents in bafflement. They share another look, clearly communicating without words, before his mother nods and turns to regard him with a soft smile.

“Oliver, sweetheart, you’re a wonderful big brother but you’re not exactly home a lot. We need someone who’s going to be able to pick Thea up from school and watch her until there’s an adult in the house. With Raisa taking a step back to look after her baby niece, it just made sense to hire someone else.”

“Oh, okay. I guess that does make sense.” Oliver replies, his eyebrows still furrowed. He can’t shake the feeling that his parents are trying to cover for the fact that they don’t _trust_ him with Thea, and that doesn’t sit right with him at all. He’s her big brother after all.

“Are you alright, Oliver?” His father asks after a long moment and Oliver blinks, realizing he’s been staring at his water glass for far too long.

“Yeah, I’m fine, Dad.” He covers quickly, placating his dad with an awkward smile that he knows doesn’t reach his eyes. His mother tilts her head, regarding him with a concerned expression and Oliver knows he needs to move the conversation along so he doesn’t get grilled. “So, something funny happened at baseball practice…” 

* * *

Oliver still doesn’t feel quite right about things the next day.

Usually, he’d be able to shake it off, concentrate on hanging out with his friends or planning his next party, but the whole situation with Thea has embedded itself in his mind. He just can’t shake the thought that if his parents can’t even trust him to look after his baby sister, how the hell is anyone else going to trust him with anything else in the future?

He throws off Tommy and Laurel, who beg him to come to hang out at Tommy’s pool again, and heads home straight from school, following the sounds of voices once he gets inside.

Lingering at the doorway to the dining room, he smiles at the sight of Thea and Felicity. The babysitter is clearly helping his sister with her homework but he frowns when he realizes that Thea doesn’t appear to be having any of it.

“I just can’t do it!” The seven-year-old groans, throwing her head forward onto the table with a dramatic sigh. Oliver watches Felicity and the way she clearly bites the inside of her cheek to hold back a laugh at Thea’s dramatics.

“Sure, you can. You’re so smart, Thea, you’ve got this.” She instead encourages, rubbing a soothing hand over the little girl’s back with a reassuring smile.

“But the numbers don’t make any sense. Math is stupid anyway.” Thea bemoans, turning her famous pout onto Felicity.

Instead of succumbing to it, however, Oliver is impressed to see Felicity gasp loudly as she narrows her eyes jokingly at the seven-year-old. “Now I know you didn’t just say that.”

“It is! Ollie doesn’t like math.” Thea declares simply as if that’s the end to the conversation. Oliver watches interestedly as Felicity goes to say something before clearly holding herself back.

“Yes well, I’m not too sure your brother is the best baseline academically.” She explains gently after a beat and Oliver frowns. She’s right, he doesn’t know why it offends it. There’s something about Felicity though, he just wants to impress her, which is odd seeing as he’s scarcely interacted with her.

“Ollie’s smart!” Thea defends immediately, finally sitting up in her seat and Oliver has to try not to laugh as Felicity once again attempts to hold her tongue. She may be trying to hold back from insulting him but there’s just something so endearing about the way her entire emotions play out on her face. 

“I’m sure he is in other ways.” She finally decides on diplomatically and Oliver smiles, biting his lip to stop from laughing. It’s tactful and discreet, far more than Oliver has ever been.

“But I don’t need math to be cool. Only nerds like math.” Thea replies with a shrug, looking back to the sheets in front of them. Felicity smirks at that, shaking her head, and Oliver is impressed at how she’s taking this all instead of getting offended.

Like she said the other day, Thea can be a bit of a little tyke. 

“Oh, and nerds aren’t cool? I’m a nerd, am I not cool?” Felicity questions, pointing to herself with a raised eyebrow and a smirk.

“It’s a Friday night and you’re here doing math with a seven-year-old.” Thea levels flatly, staring plainly at Felicity who scoffs out a laugh with a shake of her head.

“Okay, you got me there. But you’re cool so therefore, does that not make me cool?” She presses and Oliver is still impressed by how none of Thea’s antics seem to faze her.

“You make my brain hurt.” Thea sighs, shaking her head as she looks away, and Felicity laughs outright at that, smiling down at Thea affectionately.

“You like history, right?” The blonde asks after a moment and Thea frowns, turning back to look at her with a curious expression.

“ _History_ is cool.” Thea states decisively and Oliver has to bite his lip once more. Oh, the mind of a seven-year-old.

“Well did you know that markings on animal bones prove that humans have been doing math since around 30,000 BC. That’s 32,000 years ago.” Felicity tells Thea with a clear excitement to her voice and Oliver’s eyebrows rise. He’ll admit, that is a pretty cool fact, and Thea seems to think so too because her eyes blow wide for a moment before she reluctantly shakes her head.

“That is pretty cool.” The girl admits begrudgingly and Oliver smiles at the triumphant grin that spreads across Felicity’s face.

“And I think it shows that math is important, no?” The teenager presses and Thea makes them both smile when she groans with a nod.

“I guess so.” She huffs, her face a picture of pure torture as she looks back at the math problems before them. “I still don’t understand fractions though.”

Felicity laughs at that, reaching into the bag that’s sitting on the seat next to her. “Alright kiddo, let’s think about it another way.”

“Oreos!” Thea gasps delightedly as Felicity produces the pack of cookies from her bag.

“Thought you might appreciate that.” The blonde laughs, tugging the pack open before she lays a few out on the table. “Okay, so…”

Oliver then proceeds to watch Felicity explain fractions using Thea’s favorite cookies in the simplest and most accessible way he’s ever heard. Thea gets more and more excited as she begins to understand the problems on the sheet in front of her and she’s practically dancing in her chair by the time she finishes the most complex problem at the bottom of the page.

“I got it! They-shouldv-teach-maff-wi-Orweos-in-smchool.” Thea declares with a mouth full of the sugary treat as she comes to the end of the last problem and Oliver takes that as his cue, finally pushing off of the doorframe and entering the room.

“Something tells me they’d run out of Oreos with kids as smart as you.” Oliver chuckles affectionately to announce his presence in the room and both Felicity and Thea swivel to look at him with surprise covering their faces.

“Ollie! What are you doing here?” Thea questions in shock, her small face contorting into a frown.

“Speedy, I live here,” Oliver answers with a chuckle, smiling warmly at Felicity when she smiles at him.

“Yeah, but you’re _never_ home this early. You’re always at Tommy’s or Laurel’s or god knows where.” Thea insists, doubt evident on her face as she stares up at him and Oliver’s brow furrows at her words.

“I’m not out every day.” He tells her with a shake of his head but Thea just scoffs, shrugging her shoulders.

“You are most of the time.” She counters quickly, turning to fidget with the corner of the paper laid out in front of her.

“Well, maybe I wanted to spend time with my favorite baby sister.” Oliver tries, smiling at her, but that doesn’t seem to help either as Thea looks up at him once more with a hurt expression on her small features.

“I’m your only baby sister. Plus, you don’t like spending time with me, that’s why Mom and Dad had to hire Felicity.” Thea states simply and it hits Oliver like the strongest of punches to the stomach. It was hard enough to hear that his parents most probably don’t trust him with Thea, but to learn that Thea thinks herself that he doesn’t want to hang out with her is heart-wrenching.

She’s his baby sister, he _loves_ her with all of himself.

“Thea…” Oliver tries but Thea just turns away from him, looking up at Felicity.

“Can we get some dinner now?” She questions with a sigh and Felicity sighs too, looking between the siblings before she stands with a nod.

“Yeah, come on. Let’s go see what Raisa left in the fridge tonight. And maybe we’ll dig out the ice cream as a reward for conquering fractions.” She tells Thea with a small smile, offering the girl her hand and Thea squeals, suddenly very happy and excited.

“Yes! You’re the best, Felicity!” The little girl jumps up, grabbing her hand eagerly. Felicity chuckles, encouraging her towards the door.

“Come on, rugrat. Let’s get out of your brother’s hair.” She tells Thea, sending an apologetic look over her shoulder at Oliver as she leads the girl towards the kitchen to feed her dinner. They leave him standing in the dining room, his head spinning as he tries to wrap his head around what just happened.

* * *

His head is still reeling hours later, completely unaware of what to think or to do with what Thea divulged.

Thinking back on it, he supposes he can’t blame Thea for thinking the way she does, no matter how inaccurate it is. Oliver’s never really been there and he’s taken the fact that Thea worships the ground he walks on for granted far too often. She may be a kid, but she’s still a human with feelings and it’s awful of him to have disregarded them in the way that he has.

And it’s that which has him chasing to catch Felicity just before she leaves for the night.

“Felicity?” He calls out to the blonde as she pulls her coat on by the front door. She turns to look at him, her expression contorting into one of surprise before she smiles, her bright blue eyes sparkling beneath the frames of her two-toned glasses.

“Oh, hi Oliver. I was just on my way out. Your mom got home about ten minutes ago.” She explains with a small smile and Oliver nods, knowing this information already.

“I just wanted to say that what Thea said earlier, it’s not true. I love hanging out with her.” He finds himself telling her, his face softening as he implores her to understand. The blonde before him freezes for a moment before she melts, tilting her head to look at him with a gentle expression.

“I know that, Oliver. But you’ve got to see it from her point of view. You’re rarely home, and when you are, you hang out in your room away from her. She’s seven, she doesn’t exactly understand the complexities of teenage popularity. Heck, I am a teenager and I don’t understand it.”

Felicity’s voice remains gentle despite her words. From anyone else, Oliver thinks they probably would have sounded admonishing or reprehensive, but Felicity speaks as if she’s merely trying to get him to understand. There’s no judgment in her voice, merely empathy for both Oliver _and_ his baby sister.

This girl baffles him in a way he just can’t understand but lord, he wants to know more.

“It’s not that I don’t want to be here with her…” He defends but trails off as he realizes he has no further justification. Felicity straightens her head, pulling her lips back into her mouth for a second before she raises an eyebrow.

“But you have a reputation to uphold?” She finishes for him and Oliver feels that punch to his gut all over again. He stares at Felicity, unsure as to how she’s seen right through him so quickly. “I don’t know, Oliver, I think sometimes people like you think a little too much about what your peers think of you rather than whether you’re a good person or not. They’re not the same thing.”

She finishes buttoning her coat and leaves, the heavy door shutting behind her with a loud click. Oliver stands in the hallway, wondering just how things turned around so quickly.

* * *

It’s a few days later and Oliver’s mind is still stuck on Thea, his parents, and Felicity.

He knows he needs to make a change, do something to prove to Thea that he loves her and wants to spend time with her, as well as prove to his parents that he wants to be responsible and have their trust. Just how to go about doing that seems convoluted and difficult for Oliver to figure out.

Then there’s the matter of Felicity Smoak.

Oliver doesn’t know what it is, but he cannot get the blonde out of his mind. The way her eyes sparkle beneath her glasses and the exact angle her lips curve up at when she smiles seem to have ingrained themselves in Oliver’s brain. He’s known her for less than a week and she’s somehow turned his entire world on his head. However, far from blaming her for it, Oliver finds himself wanting to thank her. He doesn’t understand it but he doesn’t want to question it either.

He’s walking down the corridor at school when the loud shouts of the football team draw his attention back to reality.

“Smoaky-Smoak! How’s it going, Four Eyes?”

Oliver frowns, following the sound of the voice to see Adrian Chase approaching where Felicity is stood at her locker, switching out her textbooks. He immediately tenses, his eyes blowing wide at the sight of the football player approaching Felicity with an arrogant smirk on his face.

Felicity, for her part, looks far more annoyed that bothered by the insult, closing her locker and turning to face Chase with a roll of her eyes. 

“Don’t you buffoons have any insults that are a little more creative?” She questions with a quirked eyebrow, clearly unimpressed that her day has been so rudely interrupted.

“Oh I don’t know, I suppose because I’m not a _nerd,_ I can’t think of any.” Adrian retaliates, raising his voice on the word nerd and making the gaggle of football players behind him litter with laughter. Felicity and Oliver both roll their eyes at the immature remark, and the blonde adjusts her books in her hands as she regards Chase with a bored expression.

“Don’t you all have something better to be doing? Like, I don’t know, bolstering your toxic masculinity?” She questions and Oliver fights a grin at her words, watching as Chase frowns for a moment.

“You know, you could bolster my masculinity any time you want. I bet you’re a real freak under all those tight skirts.” Chase comments after a long moment, stepping into Felicity’s personal space and Oliver sees red as his grimy little hand comes to rest on Felicity’s bare shoulder, exposed save the thin strap of her top.

Before Oliver knows what he’s doing, he’s rushing across the hall and pushing Chase back, pressing himself in between Chase and Felicity with a murderous expression and a rage he hasn’t felt in a long time.

“Hey! Leave her alone!” He yells and Adrian stumbles backward, his expression morphing into confusion.

“What the fuck, Queen?” The football player asks, the rest of his buddies squaring up behind him but Oliver just narrows his eyes at them all.

“You don’t touch a girl without her permission, asshole. Get the fuck out of here.” He yells, gesturing at all the football players who grumble loudly, their shoulders squaring as if ready for a fight.

It’s Chase himself that stops them, standing up tall and shaking his head with a scoff and a roll of his eyes. “Whatever. Hang out with the nerds if you want to, Queen.”

With that, the entire group turns and heads back down the corridor, leaving Oliver to turn to face Felicity. He takes her in, trying to discern if she’s okay from expression alone.

“You didn’t have to do that, I had it handled.” She comments quietly, tugging her books closer to her chest and regarding Oliver with an expression he can’t read.

“Doesn’t mean you should have to handle it.” Oliver frowns, honestly unsure of what his primal reaction means but wanting to make sure Felicity knows that he doesn’t think Chase’s behavior is okay.

“It’s okay. I know how important your precious reputation is to you.” She tells him, looking up at him blankly. There’s still no judgement to her voice, despite the fact that it still hits Oliver like a stab through the heart. It actually makes it all the more painful, to know that she doesn’t think anything bad of it, that she’s just accepted it’s the way of things.

“Hey, Felicity, it’s not like that.” Oliver tries to tell her but Felicity just raises an eyebrow, leveling him with a disbelieving look. It makes Oliver sigh and nod, before he looks at her with truth in his eyes and honesty in his voice. “Okay, maybe it is, but I’m… your words the other night, they really struck me. I’m going to try and do better.”

She freezes at that, tilting her head as she looks at him, clearly trying to work out whether he’s telling the truth or whether it’s just a line. Oliver remains still, smiling softly as her expression softens.

“Well… good. I’m glad to hear it.” She comments in an almost whisper. Their eyes lock, blue meeting blue as they stare at each other for a long moment. Oliver feels his stomach flutter in a sensation he’s never experienced before. It’s over before it really begins and Felicity takes a step back, a small smile crossing her face. “For Thea’s sake.”

“Right. For Thea’s sake.”

* * *

That afternoon, Oliver heads home straight from school once more and finds Thea and Felicity in the living room watching a Disney movie. He toes off his shoes and sumps his bag, settling down on the couch next to his baby sister.

“Ollie? What are you doing home so early?” Thea questions, looking at him with a frown and Oliver just shrugs, throwing his arm over the back of the couch.

“I wanted to hang out with you. That cool?” He questions casually, trying not to let Thea see how desperately he’s trying to make it up to her. The bright smile that crosses the seven-year-old’s face before she schools her expression makes Oliver’s heart feel about ten pounds lighter.

“Yeah, totally cool.” Thea smiles, looking up at Oliver for a moment before she cuddles down into his side and turns her attention back to the TV.

“Cool,” Oliver whispers gently, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. He turns his head to look at Felicity, who is watching the siblings with a gentle smile. He reaches across the back of the couch, gently squeezing her shoulder with an appreciative smile. She looks up at him in confusion but Oliver just continues to grin before he mouths “ _Thank you.”_

Felicity shakes her head, smiling too, before she turns to look back at the TV as Thea stretches her legs out into the blonde’s lap.

And if Oliver doesn’t move his hand from where it rests gently on her skin, neither of them says anything.

* * *

That moment proves to be a watershed for Oliver.

Most days after school, he finds himself looking forward to heading home so that he can hang out with Thea and Felicity. He’s loving bonding with his baby sister more, learning all about the person she’s growing into. She’s snarky and sweet, all rolled into one, with a razor-sharp wit that keeps both Oliver and Felicity on their toes.

Then there’s Felicity. Oliver finds himself craving her presence when he’s away from her. The pure light that the blonde emits with every word and movement grows to be something Oliver longs for when she’s not around. He learns so much about her, from the fact that she’s originally from Vegas to the fact that she’s terrified of kangaroos. He stores each factoid carefully, wanting to savor every new piece of information like it’s a precious jewel that makes up the puzzle of who she is.

Oliver is having so much fun that he doesn’t even realize the positive impact spending so much time around Felicity is having on him. He’s gotten comfortable asking for her help with homework he doesn’t understand, the three of them have taken to commandeering the dining room for an hour after school each day to work on their separate projects. He’s so wrapped up in being in the presence of his sister and Felicity that he doesn’t even take in the fact that he’s growing more competent in school until months later.

“You okay?” Felicity questions with a frown as Oliver walks into the kitchen one day after school in late April, his face colored with bafflement.

“Yeah, I… I got a B+ on my math test.” He relays, his voice catching as he speaks. He’s been in a state of shock since he got the paper back last period. He knew he’d understood more of the paper than he usually does but he had no idea he’d done so well and he has to admit, the proud look Miss Schwartz had as she handed it back to him felt pretty good.

“You did? That’s incredible. Well done!” Felicity grins, flying up from her seat at the island to rush and hug him in congratulations. Oliver’s arms immediately curl around her, holding her tight to him as if she’s a precious metal he doesn’t want to let go. The easy affection that’s grown between them over the past few months is something Oliver wouldn’t change for the world, the way his stomach flutters when she rests her head on his shoulder or clasps at his hand is indescribably wonderful.

“It’s all thanks to you,” Oliver tells her gently as they pull away but Felicity bats at his chest with a roll of her eyes.

“Please, I just explained a few things. You put in the work. Well done, Oliver.” She tells him with that bright smile that makes him want to always keep her happy just so she’ll keep looking at him like that.

“Thanks.” He comments as a smile of his own spreads across his face. Their eyes lock for a long moment, Felicity’s smile fading into something more tender and affectionate.

“I got an A+ on mine.” Thea suddenly claims from her seat at the island and it makes both teenagers laugh, stepping back from one another as they turn their attention to the seven-year-old.

“Well not all of us can be geniuses, Speedy.” Oliver chuckles affectionately, walking over to her to press a kiss to the top of her head, smiling at Felicity watching them when he looks up.

* * *

The thing with Oliver hanging around with Felicity and Thea more, means that he’s hanging out with Tommy, Laurel, and the rest of his friends less. He hasn’t completely abandoned them but when he does hang out with them, he finds himself wishing he was at home with Felicity and Thea.

He loves Tommy, he’s his best friend, but he wishes his best friend could realize that life isn’t always a party. He knows it’s a little hypocritical, given that he himself has only just come to the realization, but he finds Tommy’s immaturity grinding in a way he never used to.

They’re at a party when Tommy finally says something. His best friend is well on his way to being drunk, rushing over to where Oliver is stood at the edge of the party. 

“What the fuck is going on with you, man? You never want to hang out anymore, you go home right after school, you’re not even hanging out with Laurel which is a damn shame because that girl gets hotter every day.” Tommy questions with a drunk slur, leaning against Oliver and looking at him with a frown. Oliver sighs, running a hand over his face.

“I promised my parents I’d be around a little more for Speedy, that’s all.” He offers as a half-true explanation. It makes Tommy freeze for a moment, clearly considering the words, and then he shrugs.

“Oh, okay, I get it. Thea’s cool, y’know, for a seven-year-old.” He comments with a snort, making Oliver roll his eyes.

“Shut up, Merlyn, you want to play beer pong or not?” Oliver offers as a distraction and Tommy whoops loudly at the suggestion, tugging Oliver back into the throng of people.

“Fuck yeah. Got to keep my record up!”

* * *

After that, Oliver knows he needs to speak to Laurel. The interactions he has with his girlfriend seem to grow more and more superficial by the day. He feels empty around her and after experiencing the way his stomach flutters and his heart patters around Felicity, it doesn’t seem worth it or fair to either he or Laurel anymore.

He’s considering exactly what to say to her, how to approach it, when it all blows up in his face.

With the weather turning warmer in early May, his parents have opened up their outdoor pool which has Thea excited beyond compare. It means that their post-homework routine now involves he, Thea, and Felicity taking a dunk in the pool before they feed Thea dinner and it’s exactly that which they’re doing when Laurel storms into the house.

Oliver has Thea balanced on his hip, the two of them chasing Felicity around the pool and the sound of both girls’ laughter is echoing around the deck area. Thea is splashing the water around her onto Felicity as Oliver tries to reach her to tug her into his arms. It’s a silly game but one that makes Oliver laugh, especially as he sees how much Thea and Felicity are enjoying themselves.

“Ollie! What is going on here?”

All three of them freeze at the sound of Laurel’s loud shout. Thea’s eyes blow comically wide and Felicity makes a large splash as her arms shoot down from where they’d been afloat over her head.

“Laurel? What are you doing here?” Oliver asks slowly, looking at his girlfriend quizzically as he walks Thea over to the side of the pool. He lifts her gently onto the side, reassuring her with a smile and gentle hand brushing over her wet hair when she looks at him a little scared.

He turns back to look at Felicity, who is making her way over too. He gives her a boost out the pool before he himself climbs out, wrapping a towel around both girls before he wraps one around his bottom half.

“I came because you weren’t answering your phone. I thought we were going to plan our prom campaign?” Laurel explains, her voice a little shrill as she takes in the situation before her.

“Oh right, sorry. I did forget about that.” Oliver answers with a guilty frown. He’s been so focused on figuring out how to break up with Laurel that he did forget he’d committed to planning a campaign for prom king and queen months ago.

“Do I know you?” Laurel questions coldly as she looks at Felicity with a calculating expression. Felicity’s eyes widen before she raises an amused eyebrow.

“Felicity Smoak. I’m in all your AP classes.” She comments simply and Laurel at least has the decency to look a little ashamed of herself. Felicity shakes it off, sending Oliver a reassuring smile before she turns to Thea, who’s looking like she’d rather be anywhere else right now. “Come on, munchkin. I think Raisa left mac and cheese today.”

Thea jumps at the opportunity, taking Felicity’s hand and rushing inside with her. Oliver watches them go with a sinking feeling to his stomach before he turns back to look at his girlfriend who is glaring at him.

“Do you want to tell me why you’re here frolicking around with some blonde nerd when you’re supposed to be at mine planning a prom campaign?” Laurel questions, with a sharply raised eyebrow and arms crossed over her chest.

Oliver sighs, deflating as he shakes his head. “First off, don’t talk about Felicity that way. Second, it was an honest mistake.”

“Yeah, well, you seem to be making a lot of mistakes at the moment,” Laurel tells him harshly and Oliver sighs, his stomach twisting uncomfortably. “You know, Ollie, I thought this campaign could be a reset for us, something for the two of us to do together seeing as you’ve been so distant lately.”

Laurel’s words make Oliver freeze.

This right here is exactly what he’s talking about. Laurel didn’t ever once ask if Oliver even wanted to run for prom king. She just assumed he’d do it because she wants him to and it will look good for their popularity. And it’s exactly that which pisses Oliver off.

“Something for us to do together? Laurel, you never even asked me if I wanted to do it. You just told me we were.” He cries, his voice growing more and more agitated. Shock at his words registers on Laurel’s face and she looks at him as if he’s grown two extra heads.

“Well of course we are. We’re the most popular couple in school.” She counteracts as if it’s the simplest thing in the world and it has Oliver rolling his eyes.

“Yeah well, maybe it’s time for that couple thing to end,” Oliver speaks before he really thinks but as the shock registers on Laurel’s face, he can’t say he’s feeling too guilty about it. He doesn’t want to hurt her but he’s so sick of this vapid façade.

“God, Ollie, don’t be so dramatic. Let’s just focus on this campaign, we’ll win prom king and queen and everything will be okay.” Laurel insists, rounding the chair that sits between them and pressing herself close to him. Oliver immediately steps back, holding his arms up with a shake of his head.

“You really believe that’s true, don’t you? Laurel, we can’t solve our personal issues with a popularity contest.” Oliver sighs with a baffled shake of his head. He cannot believe that her solution to their problems is just to do something _else_ publicly.

“You’re just confused, okay?” Laurel tells him, her voice softening a little as she attempts to step closer to him again but her immediate assumption that he’s just being dumb rattles Oliver the wrong way and he too steps back once more.

“No, Laurel. Do you like me, or do you just like the idea of me?” He asks, plain and simple.

“What does that even mean, Ollie? Of course, I like you.” Laurel scoffs with a roll of her eyes and Oliver sighs, shaking his head.

“Do you? Because nothing I ever do is good enough. You see me as someone you can mold, shape, and change into who you want me to be. But you don’t want me to change for me, you want me to change for you. And that’s not okay.”

The words come hard and fast. They’re cruel but they’re true and honest and Oliver feels a weight lift off his shoulders as he speaks them.

“Who you are, Ollie? Who even is that? You’re flunking out of school, you don’t care about anything other than your own popularity and having fun.” Laurel scoffs, her eyes rolling as she immediately goes on the defensive and attacks.

Oliver sighs. It feels good to know that she’s no longer right. “No, Laurel. But the fact that you think that just proves what a disconnect we operate at.”

“When did you start speaking like that?” Laurel frowns, taking him in with a tilt of her head. She looks amazed as if she’s taking him in for the first time in months but it’s too little too late as far as Oliver’s concerned.

“If you’d actually been paying attention, you’d know.”

“So you’re just ending things? Talk to me, Ollie, we can work this out.” Laurel tells him, her voice pleading but Oliver shakes his head.

“No, Laurel. There’s no working this out. We’re not together because we want to be, we’re together because we feel like we should be. And that’s not enough for me anymore.”

He finishes with a shrug before he turns on his heel and heads back inside, leaving Laurel calling after him with a baffled expression on his face.

Once he steps inside, he slumps against the wall, a feeling of levity suddenly rushing over him. He feels lighter than he has in months, his heart no longer feeling like there’s a vice wrapped tightly around it.

That light feeling only continues when he hears the sound of laughter coming from the kitchen. A smile painting his face, he follows the sound to find Thea and Felicity sitting at the island. Felicity has her glasses at the end of her nose and Thea is squealing with laughter as the teenager makes her glasses dance by wiggling her nose. It’s such a simple thing but Thea is clearly finding it hilarious and it makes Oliver chuckle too.

The sound makes the girls jump, both of them turning to look at him.

“You okay?” Felicity asks with a soft smile, pushing her glasses up her nose, and Oliver grins.

“Yeah, I will be.”

* * *

Oliver and Felicity only continue to grow closer over the next few months. They spend almost every day together and with Oliver no longer wrapped up in the façade of his relationship with Laurel, that friendship transfers into the halls of the school as well.

He finds himself draping an arm over her shoulders as they walk down the hall, laughing at the way she squeals when he hugs her from behind at her locker, and looking up to where she’s sat in the stands at every baseball game.

At the mansion, things develop too. He finds himself in the middle of Thea and Felicity when they watch movies, each of them curled into one of his sides. Felicity tends to stay way past when his parents get home, eating with them, and hanging out in Oliver’s room until her mom gets home from work. They study but she also introduces him to her favorite shows, the two of them cuddled up on Oliver’s bed.

It’s there they find themselves during the penultimate week of school. They’re both exhausted after a week of finals and Oliver is so glad that they’ve found the time for this still. He’s most relaxed in these moments, her small body wrapped up in his arms and her soothing presence calming him to the point where he could fall asleep.

“Oliver?” Felicity hums from where she’s curled up against his chest. Oliver frowns, popping an eye open.

“Hmm?” He questions blearily, his hand reaching up to run through Felicity’s hair. He tugged it out of its ponytail when they settled, knowing his nails against her scalp is something that helps her relax.

“What are we doing?” She questions, pressing herself up so that she can look into his eyes and Oliver frowns.

“Well, I think we’re cuddling.” He smirks, gesturing between them and Felicity scoffs, rolling her eyes affectionately.

“I know that. I mean what are we _doing?_ Are we friends? Are we…?” She trails off, her face falling as she bites her lip, looking at Oliver with such nervous eyes. It makes Oliver’s stomach flutter and he smiles reassuringly at her.

“Felicity, I’ve never felt the way I do with you. You make me feel like I can be myself and that’s enough.”

The words come as easy as everything with Felicity always has. Everything has always been so natural with her and even though Oliver is a little scared, he knows this is natural as well. 

“That is enough.” Felicity smiles at him and Oliver sighs contently, slipping his hand around so that he’s cupping her soft cheek. Felicity nuzzles into it for a moment and Oliver knows that this right here is all he needs.

“I don’t know exactly what this is or where it’s going to go but I do know one thing.” He tells her softly, his expression tender as he smiles gently.

“And what’s that?” Felicity asks, her eyes widening but Oliver keeps smiling.

“Every day I spend with you is better than the last.”

As Oliver draws Felicity close to press his lips against hers in a kiss that feels perfectly timed and a long time coming all at once, he knows that so long as he has her, he doesn’t have to be anyone other than the man she encourages him to be.

And that is truly everything he could ever want.


End file.
